There are, essentially, two kinds of can commpactors (or crushers) for home use. One type effects endwise crushing of the can and creates what is known as a "hockey puck". The other type compacts the can laterally, forming what is sometimes termed a "bulls-eye" configuration. The hockey-puck type has various disadvantages, including: (1) large force is required for the compaction, (2) the compaction frequently results in rupturing of the can, which creates sharp edges that can cut the fingers of users and processors unless gloves are worn (the sharp edges also produce the disadvantage of cutting and "grabbing" plastic refuse bags), (3) recycling by the processors is difficult, because the hockey-puck shape and density are such that the shredding incident to recycling is difficult to accomplish, (4) the hockey-puck shape is not adapted to be fed into the "reverse vending machines" in supermarkets, (5) hockey pucks make excellent flying missiles in school yards where can compactors are employed.
The bulls-eye configuration produces marked advantages and few, if any, disadvantages. The advantages include: (1) there is seldom, if ever, a rupturing of the cans and consequent creation of sharp edges, (2) the cans are easily handled by the shredding machines used in reprocessing plants, (3) the bulls-eye compacted cans may be fed into many reverse-vending machines in supermarkets, (4) the bulls-eye cans do not "throw" well at schools.
Various attempts have been made to create satisfactory apparatus for compacting cans into the bulls-eye configuration, but such attempts have been deficient. The defects of presently-known compactors for creating bulls-eye shapes are numerous, and include one or more of the following: (1) necessity for more than one stroke or hit, (2) complexity and/or requirement for excessive force, (3) necessity of using two hands throughout the compacting operation, (4) inability to achieve the desired shape with a single stroke that needs only one hand of the operator, (5) danger that children will be inadvertently injured when playing with the apparatus, (6) absence of a neat, clean appearance.